How to Plan a Family Trip

Here are some tips on planning a family getaway that the whole family will enjoy.

Get it Booked

You know your budget and the destinations you can go within that budget. Get the holiday booked without input from the kids.

Time when you tell the kids

For most of us we’ll book our holiday quite a few months in advance. Holidays during school holiday periods get booked up quickly. If you tell the kids about the holiday at this stage, the excitement can be too much and the time will go very slowly for them. Depending on their age, a good time to tell them is about 2-4 weeks before you’re due to leave.

Get The Kids Involved

Now that you’ve decided on the destination and told the kids, it’s time to get them involved. Give them books about the destination or show them websites about where you’re going. Get them to make a list of things they’d really like to do on holiday. Then as a family work out what activities, excursions would fit in with the holiday dates, budget, etc.

Packing

Part of the excitement of a trip is the planning what to bring and what to pack. It’s probably best for the parents to be in charge of deciding on and packing the clothes but let the kids pack a bag with items they want to bring. Kids will need guidance though. They might think their giant cuddly toy is a must or they won’t be able to live without their whole set of Harry Potter books but it’s just not practical. Give them an appropriate sized bag or backpack and list of the types of things that you think might be useful  such as their favourite toy, a book, a refillable water bottle, headphones, pen and notebook, etc.

It’s a Holiday for EVERYONE

Remember a family trip is mean to be relaxing and enjoyable for ALL members of the family. It’s not fair for one person to be turning themselves inside out making everything nice for everyone else. Explain this to the kids, that everyone is expected to make the holiday special. Talk about ways that everyone can help. Some ideas could be agreeing to not annoy their siblings, picking up after themselves so where your staying doesn’t  get messy and filling their own water bottle every day. All of these small things will help.

But above all remember to have fun and make fantastic family memories.